Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Pearl Cichlid
Geophagus brasiliensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Also called Mother-of-pearl cichlid, Pearlscale cichlid, Earth eater
From South America: Atlantic coastal river systems of eastern and southern Brazil and Uruguay, with some sources extending the range to Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina. Also lives in slightly brackish coastal lagoons.123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Deep-bodied eartheater cichlid
A sturdy, high-backed cichlid covered in shining pale blue speckles that give it a pearly look. Adult males end up clearly bigger than females and often grow a rounded forehead bump. Body shape varies by home water, slimmer in fast rivers and deeper in still water.23
Personality what they are like
Calm for much of the time, but males claim and defend a patch of the tank, especially when a pair is ready to spawn. Best with robust tankmates too big to be eaten.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A busy bottom forager that sifts through the substrate, and a pair becomes very watchful when guarding a nest site.23
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Needs a mature, well-filtered aquarium with large regular water changes; good mechanical filtration helps catch the fine sand it stirs up.2
Home where they are happiest
Large aquarium of at least about 150 x 45 cm (around 300 litres), soft sand, driftwood, roots and flat stones, with dim lighting. Water about 18 to 28 C, pH roughly 6.0 to 8.0 and soft to fairly hard water.21
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivore: a quality sinking pellet or granule as the staple, plus frozen or live bloodworm and brine shrimp and some plant matter.21
Company who they like around
Kept as a single male-female pair or in a large tank with other sturdy fish; pairs form naturally when young fish grow up together.23
The story where it all began
The pearl cichlid was among the earliest cichlids described from South America, named by the French naturalists Quoy and Gaimard in 1824. It has long been a favourite with aquarists, and fish once sold in Europe under another name are usually this species.123
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
The genus name Geophagus means earth eater, after the way these fish sift mouthfuls of sand for food.3
- 2
It copes with both fresh and slightly salty lagoon water across a broad pH range.3
- 3
Colour shifts with mood and breeding condition, from pale brown to deep blue or purple.3
- 4
Wild populations look different from place to place, with blue, green or yellow tones depending on locality.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 18 November 2020)1
- Taxonomy
- Described by Quoy and Gaimard in 1824; possibly a complex of several closely related forms2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Pearl Cichlid. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
You might also like
Green Terror
Blue AcaraLike what we are building? Buy us a coffee.
The breed atlas is free for everyone, with a source on every fact, and it will never show ads. If it helped you, a small tip keeps the research going. Any amount is lovely, and no is a perfectly fine answer too.
Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Geophagus brasiliensis fishbase.seused for taxonomy, range, size, water parameters, IUCN
- Seriously Fish: Geophagus brasiliensis seriouslyfish.comused for care, tank size, water, diet, behaviour, notes
- Wikipedia: Pearl cichlid en.wikipedia.orgused for size, colour, breeding, fun facts
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.